"It was fascinating to watch the Moon's graceful movement through the shadow of the Earth and check its coppery glow," he said.

The last total eclipse visible from the UK was back in May 2004, but it was obscured by cloudy skies.

Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in a near-perfect line in space.

The Moon travels through the long cone-shaped shadow that the Earth casts in space. At totality, the only light reaching the Moon's surface has been refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

The appearance of the lunar surface varies according to how much dust is in the Earth's upper atmosphere. For example, following major volcanic eruptions, the Moon appears to be a deep red and almost invisible.

As there have not been any recent sizeable eruptions, astronomers had predicted that the Moon would be bathed in a bright orange light.

In Belgium, about 200 people gathered at the Mira observatory in Grimbergen to witness the eclipse.

KEY TIMES FOR ECLIPSE

Moon enters penumbra: 2018

Moon enters umbra: 2130

Totality begins: 2244

Mid-eclipse: 2321

Totality ends: 2358

Moon leave umbra: 0111

Moon leaves penumbra: 0224

(All times are in GMT)

An astronomer at the observatory, Philippe Mollet, said a thunder storm earlier in the evening had prompted fears they would see nothing.

"We were especially concerned about whether our equipment would make it through this kind of weather," he said.

"But then, after some clouds, it was all perfect throughout the entire eclipse."

In Tehran, the director of Iran's Amateur Astronomy Association, Amir Shirazi, said he and other astronomy fans would be staying up all night to watch.

"This is the last lunar eclipse in the Iranian current year and we are not going to have another beautiful and complete eclipse like this one for five years," he said.

After Saturday's eclipse, the next to be seen over western Europe will take place on 21 February 2008, but in the early hours between 0300 GMT and 0400 GMT.

And though eastern Australia, Alaska and New Zealand missed out on this total lunar eclipse, they will be able to see the next one, due to take place on 28 August.